Elder Gorilla

THE JOURNEY FOR THIS DJ CAN BE CALLED “UNCONVENTIONAL”.

ELDER GORILLA AKA CARLOS PEREZ STARTED MIXING IN LATE 1997 AT HIS BIRTHPLACE OF MIAMI, FL BUT HIS INFLUENCE OF MUSIC, AND SPECIFICALLY HOUSE STARTED EARLY IN CHILDHOOD IN THE 80S, LISTENING TO DISCO AND FREESTYLE TO SALSA, MERENGUE AND LATIN HOUSE.

THE MOMEMENT WHEN THE LOVE OF DJING HIT WAS DURING A FAMILY HOUSE PARTY AROUND 1987, WHERE HE WAS ENTRANCED BY THE DJ PLAYING, THE CONTROL OF THE CROWD WAS ENCHANTING. FROM THAT POINT, IT BECAME AN OBSSESION, FINDING WHATEVER RECORDS WERE LAY AROUND (FROM THE “SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER”  DOUBLE LP TO CLASSIC LATIN JAZZ) AND PLAYING THEM, SCRATCHING AND MESSING WITH TEMPOS.

YEARS LATER, PURCHASING 2 TURNTABLES AND A MIXER FROM WORKING AN AFTER SCHOOL JOB WOULD CHANGE LIFE, PRACTICALLY SPENDING EVERY NIGHT AND WEEKEND LOCKED IN THE BEDROOM, PLAYING EVERY RECORD AROUND THE HOUSE AND LEARNING.

HE HAS PLAYED AT HOUSE PARTIES, WAREHOUSE PARTIES, AND FESTIVALS IN THE LATE 90S, SPINNING FLORIDA BREAKBEATS, TECHNO, HOUSE AND EVEN SOME DRUM AND BASS & RAGGA.

ELDER GORILLA TOOK A LONG BREAK AFTER 2000 TO RAISE A FAMILY BUT THE PASSION NEVER DIED. WHEN HE RELOCATED TO NEW YORK IN 2007, THE FIRE WAS STOKED AGAIN WHEN MEETING A DJ WHO TOOK HIM UNDER HIS WING AND TAUGHT HIM HOW TO MIX HIPHOP AND DANCEHALL/REGGEA BUT, HOUSE MUSIC IS WHERE HIS TRUE CALLING IS AND HASN’T STOPPED SINCE THEN, PLAYING PRIVATE PARTIES AND FESTIVALS.

​MR ELDER GORILLA HAS DJ’D FOR DEEPLOMATIKK RADIO, BROKE FM, BASEMENT FM, RHYTHM AND TONE,  AND CURRENTLY IS A RESIDENT DJ AT BEATFIENDZ INTERNATIONAL, AS WELL AS MANY GUEST MIXES FOR SOUNDWAVE RADIO, THE DISCOGRAPHY LESSONS, GROOVEBOX RADIO CHICAGO TO NAME A FEW.

IN 2022, ELDER GORILLA  TOURED WITH BEATFIENDZ INTERNATIONAL THRU MEXICO AT BARS AND CLUBS AS WELL AS A PRIVATE EVENT.

HIS PHILOSPHY ON THE ROLE OF THE DJ IS BEST SUMMARIZED BY A MEME CALLED “DJS ARE CHEFS” WHERE IT SAYS “THINK OF DJS AS CHEFS. SONGS ARE OUR INGREDIENTS, PARTIES ARE OUR RESTAURANTS. WE MAY USE THE SAME INGREDIENTS BUT WE ALL COOK DIFFERENTLY. CHOOSE A DJ THAT SERVES YOU BEST.”

ELDER GORILLA STILL KEEPS THE KITCHEN OPEN….ALL ARE WELCOMED